Israelis from Iraq remember Babylon
By Lipika Pelham, Jerusalem
"During the Shia festival of Muharram we would take part in the procession and along with our Arab friends, beat our chests to remember the epic battle of Karbala," said Yakov Reuveni, remembering his youth in 1940s Iraq.
沉浸在1940年伊拉克年少時期的回憶裡,Yakov Reuveni說 : "在什葉穆哈拉姆月的節日裡,我們會跟著我們的阿拉伯朋友一起參加遊行,垂胸以紀念史詩般的卡爾巴拉戰役."
"My best friend was the son of the mayor of Ammara. After school we would go out to the date palm grove with the freshly caught fish from the river Hidekel, which we would barbeque in the fields over an open fire."
"我最好的朋友是Ammara市市長的兒子.放學後,我們總是會帶著我們從HideKel河抓來的魚到棗椰林,在野地裡生火烤魚."
By Lipika Pelham, Jerusalem
"During the Shia festival of Muharram we would take part in the procession and along with our Arab friends, beat our chests to remember the epic battle of Karbala," said Yakov Reuveni, remembering his youth in 1940s Iraq.
沉浸在1940年伊拉克年少時期的回憶裡,Yakov Reuveni說 : "在什葉穆哈拉姆月的節日裡,我們會跟著我們的阿拉伯朋友一起參加遊行,垂胸以紀念史詩般的卡爾巴拉戰役."
"My best friend was the son of the mayor of Ammara. After school we would go out to the date palm grove with the freshly caught fish from the river Hidekel, which we would barbeque in the fields over an open fire."
"我最好的朋友是Ammara市市長的兒子.放學後,我們總是會帶著我們從HideKel河抓來的魚到棗椰林,在野地裡生火烤魚."
The river Hidekel, Hebrew for the Tigris, runs through his home province, Ammara, 380km (236 miles) south-east of Baghdad.
HideKel河,也就是希伯來人說的底格里斯河,流經了他居住的省份, Ammara, 位於巴格達東南方380公里處.
Among his most cherished memories, says Yakov, is the after-school stroll along the riverbank with his Arab friend.
Yakov說他最珍視的回憶之一,就是放學後和他的阿拉伯朋友到河堤溜達.
He grew up in a moderately well-to-do Jewish home with his parents, four siblings and grandparents.
他生長在一個還算富裕的猶太家庭, 家裡有父母親,四個兄弟姊妹及祖父母.
His father had a clothing store in the heart of Ammara's central market.
他的父親在Ammarar的中央市集開了一間服飾店.
Nostalgia
It was an easy, happy life. Jews shared almost all aspects of life with their Arab neighbours, reminisces Yakov.
那是個安逸快樂的生活. 猶太人跟他們的阿拉伯鄰居們分享生活中的一切.
He was 17 years old in 1951, when his family emigrated to Jerusalem.
1951年,當他們舉家遷移到耶路撒冷時,他只有17歲.
For the Jews of Middle Eastern origins, like their European co-religionists, coming to Israel was the culmination of a religious journey - it was the fulfilment of the centuries-old dream to live in the Promised Land.
對那些來自中東的猶太人, 如同那些在歐洲信奉猶太教的人來說, 到以色列去, 是整個朝聖的最終目標 - 即是實現了幾個世紀以來居住在應許之地的夢想.
But many who came over to Israel as part of the mass migration that followed the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, look back with nostalgia and fondness for the life that they had left behind.
但是許多跟著大遷徙從遠方來以色列的人, 在緊接著1948年猶太國的建立後, 卻都沉浸在鄉愁裡,並且喜愛他們以往的生活方式.
Israel has a vibrant Iraqi Jewish community who arrived throughout the 1950s. Many Iraqi Jews settled in the area known as Mahane Yehuda in the heart of west Jerusalem.
以色列有一個色彩鮮明、自1950年代移入的伊拉克籍猶太人社群.許多伊拉克籍猶太人居住在西耶路撒冷的中心地帶,也就是所知Mahane Yehuda地區.
It is a famous market with alleyways lined with grocery shops: rows after rows of shops laden with colourful fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, dried fruit, sweets, different kinds of bread, cheese, traditional salted fish.
它是一個著名的市集, 有著許多狹小的巷道, 裡面一間間全是雜貨店:一排又一排的商店塞滿了各種顏色的水果和蔬菜, 新鮮的魚貨, 乾果,糖果, 各種麵包,起司, 傳統的鹹魚.
These stores are still mostly owned by the descendants of the Iraqi and Kurdish Jewish immigrants.
這些商店大部份都是由伊拉克籍猶太人和庫德族猶太人移民的後代子孫所有.
Fish feast
"The most memorable taste was the fish called maskuf, from the river Hidekel," says Yakov.
"最令人懷念的美味是產於Hidekel河,叫做maskuf的魚." Yakov 說.
"After the Sabbath, we would wander off to the fields and have a feast with fish cooked on the spit, Iraqi pita and arak."
"安息日過後,我們總會漫步到野外, 享受一頓有著烤魚,伊拉克圓麵餅,亞力酒的盛宴."
After maskuf and arak, a strong aniseed flavoured local alcoholic drink, the boys would go to Ammara's club to watch belly dancing.
享用完maskuf和當地一種調有茴香的酒精飲料arak,男孩子們就到Ammara的一間俱樂部欣賞肚皮舞.
Yakov recalls, with vivid, powerful details, the life that he had once led, a life that was changed overnight by the political realities of the time. "We used to eat with them, sleep with them, go to school with them, the Arabs and the Jews went to the same high school. "
Yakov 鮮明且鉅細彌遺的記得他之前過的生活, 而這樣的生活在一夕之間就被當時的政治現實所改變."我們過去時常吃,睡,上課都跟他們在一起,阿拉伯人跟猶太人上同一所高中"
"We never thought of who was Jewish and who was Arab, until 1947. It all suddenly changed. The people that you knew as good people turned into bad people for you and you became bad for them. It was very sad."
"1947年一前,我們從未考慮誰是猶太人,誰是阿拉伯人. 突然間一切都變了. 以前你所認識的那些良善的人, 卻變成了壞人. 你也成了他們眼中的壞人. 實在是糟透了."
Anti-Jewish sentiment flared up after the creation of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war in 1948-49.
反猶太的情結在以色列建國後被激起,隨之而起的是1948-49年阿拉伯與以色列的戰爭
This led to the departure of most of Iraq's ancient Jewish community. By 1952, 120,000 Jews had left Iraq for Israel.
結果導致許多伊拉克籍古老猶太社群的出走. 到1952年, 總共有十二萬猶太人離開伊拉克前往以色列.
Thinking in Arabic
In the heart of the Mahane Yehuda market is Cafe Mizrakhi, which specialises in certain traditional delicacies from Iraq. The word Mizrakhi means Oriental Jews.
在Mahane Yehuda市集的中心,是一間咖啡店Mizrakhi,專門賣一些伊拉克傳統的美食. Mizrakhi這個字的
意思是東方的猶太人.
It is owned by Eli Mizrakhi, whose family came from northern Iraq, or what is now known as Iraqi Kurdistan.
這間店的店東是Eli Mizrakhi,他的家族來自伊拉克北部, 也就是現在的伊拉克庫德斯坦.
""Most of us still feel connected to the country where we or our ancestors came from. Our parents and our grandparents still remember many things from their Iraqi past and they bring them to us, with food, music, language."
"我們當中有許多人仍舊對我們或我們先人來自的地方有著密不可分的感覺. 我們的父母親及祖父母仍舊記得過去在伊拉克許許多多的事, 以及他們帶給我們的食物,音樂以及語言.
Both Eli and Yakov agree that despite having gone through the process of assimilation into Israel, they keep alive many aspects of their previous lives, in particular, Iraqi food and speaking Arabic.
Eli和Yakov都承認,儘管經歷過與以色列同化的過程, 他們仍保有他們之前生活的樣子, 特別是伊拉克的食物以及說阿拉伯語.
"We used to eat kubbeh and bamia, or okra. The kubbeh, made with minced lamb, was the national food for the Jews all over Iraq. Thursday was the day of khitchri - it's a dish cooked with rice and lentils."
"我們過去常吃Kubbeh,bamia(羊角豆),或okra(秋葵).Kubbeh,碎羊肉做成,是所有在伊拉克猶太人的傳統食物. 星期四一定是吃Khitchri, 這是用米和扁豆烹調的一道菜."
."I still think in Arabic, still I can't string together all my thoughts in Hebrew. You have to understand, my mother tongue is Arabic," says Yakov.
"我仍然用阿拉伯文的方式思考, 到現在,我仍然沒有辦法用希伯來文的方式將思緒串接在一起. 你必須了解到我的母語是阿拉伯文." Yakov 說
Now living in a small cottage with his wife in south Jerusalem, Yakov keeps himself busy recreating sweet pickled orange from his youth, while longing to someday return to Babylon.
現在,Yakov和他的妻子住在南耶路撒冷的一間小屋裡,讓自己忙著做糖醃柳橙, 是他自年輕時的消遣, 同時渴望著有朝一日能回到巴比倫.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Among his most cherished memories, says Yakov, is the after-school stroll along the riverbank with his Arab friend.
Yakov說他最珍視的回憶之一,就是放學後和他的阿拉伯朋友到河堤溜達.
He grew up in a moderately well-to-do Jewish home with his parents, four siblings and grandparents.
他生長在一個還算富裕的猶太家庭, 家裡有父母親,四個兄弟姊妹及祖父母.
His father had a clothing store in the heart of Ammara's central market.
他的父親在Ammarar的中央市集開了一間服飾店.
Nostalgia
It was an easy, happy life. Jews shared almost all aspects of life with their Arab neighbours, reminisces Yakov.
那是個安逸快樂的生活. 猶太人跟他們的阿拉伯鄰居們分享生活中的一切.
He was 17 years old in 1951, when his family emigrated to Jerusalem.
1951年,當他們舉家遷移到耶路撒冷時,他只有17歲.
For the Jews of Middle Eastern origins, like their European co-religionists, coming to Israel was the culmination of a religious journey - it was the fulfilment of the centuries-old dream to live in the Promised Land.
對那些來自中東的猶太人, 如同那些在歐洲信奉猶太教的人來說, 到以色列去, 是整個朝聖的最終目標 - 即是實現了幾個世紀以來居住在應許之地的夢想.
But many who came over to Israel as part of the mass migration that followed the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, look back with nostalgia and fondness for the life that they had left behind.
但是許多跟著大遷徙從遠方來以色列的人, 在緊接著1948年猶太國的建立後, 卻都沉浸在鄉愁裡,並且喜愛他們以往的生活方式.
Israel has a vibrant Iraqi Jewish community who arrived throughout the 1950s. Many Iraqi Jews settled in the area known as Mahane Yehuda in the heart of west Jerusalem.
以色列有一個色彩鮮明、自1950年代移入的伊拉克籍猶太人社群.許多伊拉克籍猶太人居住在西耶路撒冷的中心地帶,也就是所知Mahane Yehuda地區.
It is a famous market with alleyways lined with grocery shops: rows after rows of shops laden with colourful fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, dried fruit, sweets, different kinds of bread, cheese, traditional salted fish.
它是一個著名的市集, 有著許多狹小的巷道, 裡面一間間全是雜貨店:一排又一排的商店塞滿了各種顏色的水果和蔬菜, 新鮮的魚貨, 乾果,糖果, 各種麵包,起司, 傳統的鹹魚.
These stores are still mostly owned by the descendants of the Iraqi and Kurdish Jewish immigrants.
這些商店大部份都是由伊拉克籍猶太人和庫德族猶太人移民的後代子孫所有.
Fish feast
"The most memorable taste was the fish called maskuf, from the river Hidekel," says Yakov.
"最令人懷念的美味是產於Hidekel河,叫做maskuf的魚." Yakov 說.
"After the Sabbath, we would wander off to the fields and have a feast with fish cooked on the spit, Iraqi pita and arak."
"安息日過後,我們總會漫步到野外, 享受一頓有著烤魚,伊拉克圓麵餅,亞力酒的盛宴."
After maskuf and arak, a strong aniseed flavoured local alcoholic drink, the boys would go to Ammara's club to watch belly dancing.
享用完maskuf和當地一種調有茴香的酒精飲料arak,男孩子們就到Ammara的一間俱樂部欣賞肚皮舞.
Yakov recalls, with vivid, powerful details, the life that he had once led, a life that was changed overnight by the political realities of the time. "We used to eat with them, sleep with them, go to school with them, the Arabs and the Jews went to the same high school. "
Yakov 鮮明且鉅細彌遺的記得他之前過的生活, 而這樣的生活在一夕之間就被當時的政治現實所改變."我們過去時常吃,睡,上課都跟他們在一起,阿拉伯人跟猶太人上同一所高中"
"We never thought of who was Jewish and who was Arab, until 1947. It all suddenly changed. The people that you knew as good people turned into bad people for you and you became bad for them. It was very sad."
"1947年一前,我們從未考慮誰是猶太人,誰是阿拉伯人. 突然間一切都變了. 以前你所認識的那些良善的人, 卻變成了壞人. 你也成了他們眼中的壞人. 實在是糟透了."
Anti-Jewish sentiment flared up after the creation of Israel and the subsequent Arab-Israeli war in 1948-49.
反猶太的情結在以色列建國後被激起,隨之而起的是1948-49年阿拉伯與以色列的戰爭
This led to the departure of most of Iraq's ancient Jewish community. By 1952, 120,000 Jews had left Iraq for Israel.
結果導致許多伊拉克籍古老猶太社群的出走. 到1952年, 總共有十二萬猶太人離開伊拉克前往以色列.
Thinking in Arabic
In the heart of the Mahane Yehuda market is Cafe Mizrakhi, which specialises in certain traditional delicacies from Iraq. The word Mizrakhi means Oriental Jews.
在Mahane Yehuda市集的中心,是一間咖啡店Mizrakhi,專門賣一些伊拉克傳統的美食. Mizrakhi這個字的
意思是東方的猶太人.It is owned by Eli Mizrakhi, whose family came from northern Iraq, or what is now known as Iraqi Kurdistan.
這間店的店東是Eli Mizrakhi,他的家族來自伊拉克北部, 也就是現在的伊拉克庫德斯坦.
""Most of us still feel connected to the country where we or our ancestors came from. Our parents and our grandparents still remember many things from their Iraqi past and they bring them to us, with food, music, language."
"我們當中有許多人仍舊對我們或我們先人來自的地方有著密不可分的感覺. 我們的父母親及祖父母仍舊記得過去在伊拉克許許多多的事, 以及他們帶給我們的食物,音樂以及語言.
Both Eli and Yakov agree that despite having gone through the process of assimilation into Israel, they keep alive many aspects of their previous lives, in particular, Iraqi food and speaking Arabic.
Eli和Yakov都承認,儘管經歷過與以色列同化的過程, 他們仍保有他們之前生活的樣子, 特別是伊拉克的食物以及說阿拉伯語.
"We used to eat kubbeh and bamia, or okra. The kubbeh, made with minced lamb, was the national food for the Jews all over Iraq. Thursday was the day of khitchri - it's a dish cooked with rice and lentils."
"我們過去常吃Kubbeh,bamia(羊角豆),或okra(秋葵).Kubbeh,碎羊肉做成,是所有在伊拉克猶太人的傳統食物. 星期四一定是吃Khitchri, 這是用米和扁豆烹調的一道菜."
."I still think in Arabic, still I can't string together all my thoughts in Hebrew. You have to understand, my mother tongue is Arabic," says Yakov.
"我仍然用阿拉伯文的方式思考, 到現在,我仍然沒有辦法用希伯來文的方式將思緒串接在一起. 你必須了解到我的母語是阿拉伯文." Yakov 說
Now living in a small cottage with his wife in south Jerusalem, Yakov keeps himself busy recreating sweet pickled orange from his youth, while longing to someday return to Babylon.
現在,Yakov和他的妻子住在南耶路撒冷的一間小屋裡,讓自己忙著做糖醃柳橙, 是他自年輕時的消遣, 同時渴望著有朝一日能回到巴比倫.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6611667.stm
Published: 2007/05/07 19:37:33 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Published: 2007/05/07 19:37:33 GMT
© BBC MMVII
沒有留言:
張貼留言